Loose material compacting means



June 20, 1961 COOPER 2,988,972

LOOSE MATERIAL COMPACTING MEANS Filed Nov. 13, 1957 Z INVENTOR: UrzJ/L NC00 6;"

United States atent 2,988,972. I LOOSE MATERIAL COMPACTlNG MEANS V OrinN. Cooper, Garwin, Iowa Filed Nov. 13, 1957, Ser. No. 696,160 1 Claim.(Cl. 94-48) This invention relates to a tamping means adapted forcompressing various types of loosely constituted materials intoconcentrated and compacted masses.

More specifically, as one example, the invention is directed to amanually operable earth tamper that is uniquely adaptable to compactloose earth, stones, sand, mixed rocks and/ or soil constitutingmaterials for refilling post holes and in setting posts.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a tamper having anexternal contour and configuration to promote highly efficient operationand to eliminate wasted energy activation as well as undesirablematerial handling.

The tamper consolidates a number of contour features such as front faceand back wall curvatures to conform with average post exteriors andsolid soil hole perimeters; a well beveled top to shed earth andmaterials; tapered walls on certain of the side walls so arranged as tocounteract cutting into the solid and uncut earth portions encirclingthe post hole; and the use of well curved corners at the top and bottomterminal portions of the post face of the tamper to prevent cutting intothe post and to further enhance the efiicient manual manipulation of thetamper.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an angularlyadjustable handle means for manipulating the tamper;

As a further object, the combination tamper and handle structure is alsodepicted in a modified construction wherein the handle is connected withthe tamper for limited freerelative. angular. shifting motion inrelation to the center of gravity of the tamper per se. This provides atamper. that operates in pendulum fashion from the end of the handleemployed to vertically actuate the tamper in compressing and compactingloosely constituted materials. Y

. Other objects and advantages relating to a tamper of the characterherein disclosed will hereinafter appear or .become .apparent from thefollowing detailed description of the device having reference to theaccompanying drawings forming a part of this specification.

' In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a general side elevational view of the tamper of the presentinvention as it would appear in use in one environmental situationwherein it is being employed for tamping or compacting earth inrefilling a post hole cavity;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the tamper as it would appear while in use in asituation as shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a vertical cross sectional view of the tamper per se andadjacent handle portion thereof and substantially as viewed along theplane of the line 33 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the tamper minus the handle to show certaindetails of construction thereof;

FIG. 5 is a rear face elevational view of the tamper as it appears whenviewed along the plane of the line 5-5 in FIG. 3; and

FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of a modified arrangement of thetamper to illustrate another embodiment of the present invention.

The tamper is preferably made in the form of an upright block generallyquadrangular in horizontal cross section fabricated as a forged or castbody 1 having a flat bottom or tamping base wall 2 with front face andrear face walls 3 and 4 of the block extending upwardly therefrom andconnected with two end walls 5 and 6 ice having certain alternatelyoppositely related portions thereof disposed generally parallel to eachother. The top 7 of the tamper provides a raised central platform 8forming a surface lying parallel to the base wall 2 and adapted toreceive the handle structure or securing mechanism for said handle.

Beveled walls or surfaces 9, 10, 11 and 12. slope downwardly andoutwardly from the platform 8 to meet the peripheral perimeter walls ofthe tamper body 1. Sloping walls 9 to 12 form material shedding means tocounteract clinging or adhering of earth materials to the upper end ofthe tamper. Without the provision of the sloping top surfaces, adheringand carried materials would unnecessarily lodge upon the tamper top andincrease the total weight of the tamper while at the same time thiscondition would prevent the carried materials from dropping down or fromremaining in the area that is being worked upon by the tamper.

As best seen in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, the front face wall 3 is provided witha curvature taken as generated concentrically from the center of anaverage 5" or 6" diameter post and about a vertical axis. The rear facewall 4 is also'made with a curvature chosen generally concentricallywith the curvature of the front face wall and about the axis noted. Thelower terminal portions of these walls 3 and 4 are rounded as at 13 and14 respectively. The rounded corner 13 will prevent cutting into a postsuch as 15 while working in a post hole such as 16 to tamp or compressthe loose material 17. The rounded corner 14 will help to prevent tampergouging into the uncut solid soil or earth 18 surrounding the post 15.

In addition to the configurations hereinbefore noted, the walls 4, 5 and6 are made with oppositely directed beveled faces meeting in ahorizontally disposed central peripheral high point or ridge 19encircling three sides of the tamper block intermediate its height. Theopposite outward faces or inwardly formed slopes leading from the ridgeor high point 19 on the rear face or wall 4 are indicated by 20 and 21as the upper and lower slopes respectively. On the wall or end 5, thesloping walls or surfaces are 22 at the top half and 23 at the bottomhalf; while on the wall or end 6 the sloping walls or surfaces areidenfied as 24 at the top and 25 at the bottom. Each of the slopingwalls 23 and 25 of the block ends 5 and 6 conclude with rounded corners26 and 27 to aid in preventing gouging or solid soil cutting with thebottom of the tampet and intothe laterally adjacent circular portions ofthe post hole earth 18 as at points a and b respectively.

The double sloping composite walls 4, 5 and 6 are so provided to furtherprevent soil cutting in either upward or downward motion of the tamper.As a further feature, the lower back face slope 21 has the addedfunction of setting up a downstroke reaction in the loose soil beingcompacted which will develop a radially directed motion to the tamperbody which will force the arcuate cylindrical face of the tamper towardthe post for added soil concentration about the postexterior wheregreater compactness is beneficial for better anchorage of the post inthe post hole area. As seen in FIG. 5, the downwardly convergent slopingwalls 23 and 25 of the block ends 5 and 6 coact to form a wedge portionon the tamper to cause lateral soil or earth concentration andcompactness on the downstroke of the tamper.

It should be observed that the tamper, after completing its downstroke,is socketed or comes to rest in an earth pocket with the lower half fromthe ridge 19 downwardly in close contact with the surrounding compressedmaterial. As seen in FIG. 5, however, the upper half of the tamper is ina clearance area or adjacent loose material due to the ridge enlargementwhich provides an entrance hole in the earth as generally indicated bythe dot and dash lines c and d. Thus, with three face portions of thetamper formed with downwardly and inwardly arranged faces or surfaces,withdrawal of the tamper is easily performed and earth retention orsuction is immediately destroyed by a slight pull on the handle of thetamper. Slight withdrawal of the tamper permits the arcuate verticalface 3 thereof to recede from frictional contact with the post sidecompacted material by virtue of the curved slope or face 21 which islocated on the opposite side of the tamper from the arcuate face.

The tamper is hand manipulated by means of a handle 28 connected with aU-shaped bracket 29 that is welded or otherwise suitably secured to theplatform 8 of the tamper body 1. The connection of handle 28 and bracket29 in FIGS. 1 to comprises a pivot bolt 30 and an adjustable bolt 31that may be inserted through pairs of aligned openings 32 and 33 formedin each of the upstanding legs 34 and 35 of the bracket 29. Thus, withthe handle 28 angled or tilted as in FIG. 1, injury to the hands by postcontact is avoided under most conditions of normal operationmanipulation. The handle by its location over the base portion of thebracket 29 provides a further means to counteract the adherence andcollection of earth or other material upon the bracket base. It shouldalso be observed that the base of the bracket covers the platform 8 andthat the sloping top walls fall away from the bracket location. Motionof the handle relatively to the tamper body as in the later describedform of the invention shown in FIG. 6, will also prevent materialaccumulation on the bracket and hence on the tamper top.

The handle arrangement in FIGS. 1 to 5, therefore, depicts the idea ofusing an adjustable handle that can be fixed in an angular positionselected for operating the tamper for the purpose devised.

In the modified form of the invention shown in FIG. 6, the tamper 36 isprovided with a double legged bracket 37, suitably secured thereto, anda handle 38 is secured into a socket 39 terminating with a fiat blade orend arm 40 that is guided and shiftably oriented between the two legs ofthe bracket 37. This construction provides a pivot pin 41 passingthrough the bracket legs and arm 40, and a second pin 42 is secured tothe arm to extend laterally outwardly therefrom for riding in arcuateslots 43 formed in the bracket legs. As further shown in FIG. 6, thepivot pin 41 is located, in general, over the center of gravity 44 ofthe tamper 36 so that the tamper hangs generally vertically from thepivotal region of the pin 41.

With this arrangement, the tamper acts in the capacity of a pendulumsuspended from the end of the handle, and even with excessive handleinclination the tamper will for most part avoid soil or post contact orgouging. Mo-

4. r tion of the handle relatively to the tamper will be generally freeexcept as limited by the extent of the slots 43. If desired, the secondpin 42 could well be replaced by a bolt as in the other form describedto lock the handle at a given angularity with respect to the tamper.

The foregoing description is directed to certain preferred forms of theinvention. It is to be understood that possible changes andmodifications in the constructions shown may be resorted to withoutdeparture from the fundamental concept of the invention disclosed. Anychanges made shall, however, be governed by the breadth and scope of theappended claimed subject matter directed to the tamper of thisinvention.

What I claim is:

A material tamper comprising an elongated block having a cross-sectionof quadrangular shape taken generally perpendicularly to the elongateddimension, said block having a concave front face, a bottom, top, sidefaces, and a pair of arcuate rear faces intersecting in an arcuate ridgeintermediate the top and bottom thereof, the lower arcuate rear facetapering inwardly toward the bottom from the ridge and cooperating withthe concave front face when said block is used as said material tamperso that the said lower conical surface urges the concave front face intomaterial engaging compactness when downwardly projected and to permitthe quick release of suction upon the withdrawal of said block, abracket mounted on the top of said block, a handle pivotally mountedfrom said bracket over the center of gravity of said material tamper sothat the tamper hangs generally vertically from the pivotal mounting, anarcuate slot formed in the bracket, and a pin extending laterally fromthe handle near the pivotal mounting for riding in the arcuate slot, sothat the handle is readily adjustable with respect to the bracket as thematerial tamper is suspended as a pendulum from the end of the handle.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS D.184,987 Cooper Apr. 28, 1959 684,396 Carroll Oct. 8, 1901 780,900 MorganJan. 24, 1905 868,238 Wheeler Oct. 15, 1907 875,391 Tinsley Dec. 31,1907 973,563 Prentice Oct. 25, 1910 1,480,304 Saliger Ian. 8, 19241,530,181 Jackson Mar. 17, 1925 1,711,847 Hermanson May 7, 19291,886,178 Goddard u Nov. 1, 1932 2,004,083 Scott June 4, 1935 2,234,831Porter Mar. 11, 1941

